Greetings to all our parents, guardians, and members of the wider school community, and welcome back for the final term of the school year.
Our newsletter for Term 2 is slightly delayed this year—our fabulous musical The Jungle Book took up everyone’s time and attention!
Many thanks to all the family and friends who came to support the show. Although we experienced some technical difficulties on the first night, everyone was delighted with how the performance was received, and Night 2 was declared a triumph! It showcased the talents of many budding actors, dancers, and singers, as well as the fantastic collaborative spirit of our entire school staff, who all pitched in to help. This was our first musical production since Mary Poppins in 2016, and we hope to re-establish the tradition over the coming years.
Congratulations and well done to all involved!

It was another busy term, with lots happening, including some important community occasions. The country marked our national festival—St. Patrick’s Day. Many of our families observed Ramadan and celebrated Eid, while others celebrated Easter. These occasions were recognised in school, along with many other activities.
Continue reading for just a small selection of these.

​This term, we began the CLOVER Reading initiative—a project supported by the South Dublin Library Service and run in Junior Infants each year. It is designed to foster a love of reading and involves parents coming into class to read aloud to the children. We had a wonderful turnout of parents, and the children loved seeing their mums and dads in school, sharing stories with the class. Louise & Ellen.

Senior Infants Red were learning all about Space! Our role-play area was transformed into a spaceship, where we blasted off on imaginative adventures to the moon, Mars, and beyond! We created spaceships out of Polydrons. The children loved exploring what life might be like in space and discovering fun facts about the solar system. It was an out-of-this-world experience! Bríd

Senior Infants Green have had a very busy few weeks. They are currently taking part in weekly Gaelic football lessons with Shane from Westmanstown GAA Club. During these sessions, they are learning lots of new football skills.
Our theme for the month of January was The Restaurant. The children engaged enthusiastically with this topic and learned all about different types of food.
In February, our theme was The Fire Station. The children explored the role of a firefighter, as well as learning about other emergency services in Ireland.
Senior Infants Green made a fantastic effort this week to speak lots of Gaeilge (Irish) for Seachtain na Gaeilge (Irish Week), and they had great fun dancing in the Céilí Mór (Big Dance) on Lá Glas (Green Day).
Well done, Senior Infants Green! Michelle

1st Class Red have had a great second term! With the arrival of brighter, drier weather, we’ve been making the most of our time both indoors and outdoors. We’ve been learning all about spring—spotting signs of the season and learning how plants grow. The children have explored the life cycles of plants and animals and created beautiful spring-themed artwork to brighten up our classroom. There’s a real sense of excitement as we watch nature come to life all around us! Tania

1st Class had a crazy and fun-filled day on Friday, 7th March—everything was upside down! From backwards clothes to topsy-turvy routines, the class fully embraced the silliness and had lots of laughs. In the weeks leading up to it, we had been busy learning about Places during February and Spring in March. The children enjoyed exploring different environments and noticing seasonal changes, which inspired creative writing, art, and discussion. Our upside-down day was a great way to celebrate all their hard work! Shannon

This term, 2nd Class Red had the opportunity to take part in a series of rugby lessons led by Luke from Barnhall Rugby Club. The children were introduced to the basic skills of rugby and played fun games to develop these skills. All of the children thoroughly enjoyed the lessons, and some have even gone on to join local rugby clubs outside of school. Barnhall Rugby Club runs coaching sessions for children on Saturday mornings at their club in Leixlip and is always looking for new members. They can be contacted through their website: https://mubarnhall.com/

2nd Class Green have been enjoying the school grounds. We searched for signs of spring in the Fairy Garden, discovering many beautiful flowers and trees. We then explored the Forest Area, working together to solve questions on a Ramadan Scavenger Hunt. We had great fun getting out into the sunshine and working with our friends! Sine

We had a very messy but fun science lesson last month in 3rd class red. We made oobleck by combining cornstarch, water and food colouring. This results in creating a non Newtonian liquid so it behaves like a liquid when disturbed slowly but turns solid when squeezed or hit with your hand. 

3rd Class Green had great fun playing rugby during PE with Coach Luke from Barnhall. The children really enjoyed the experience as he introduced them to a variety of games and skills related to the sport. We may have some future Irish rugby players in the making!
Students also had the opportunity to try out a selection of new frisbees, with ultimate frisbee now being incorporated into the PE curriculum. Exciting times lie ahead, as there has already been a lot of interest in the ECA Ultimate Frisbee Club.
Finally, during art lessons, the class explored the calming and relaxing benefits of working with clay while creating their own candle holders. We’re looking forward to seeing the finished results!

World Book Day
4th Class Red had a brilliant time celebrating World Book Day on the 6th of March. The class enjoyed Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) time, a book-themed table quiz, and lots of fun, book-inspired art activities.
Well done to all the children who took part in the book review writing competition—the standard was incredibly high! A special congratulations to Ziyad, who wrote an excellent review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and won a book voucher. Fantastic work!
STEM Workshop
This term, 4th Class Red thoroughly enjoyed a STEM workshop with STEAM Arts. The children explored fascinating topics across robotics, science, and art in a hands-on and engaging session.
Meal Planning
As part of their learning about money, the children took part in a meal planning activity using shopping magazines. They chose ingredients, set a budget, and calculated the change. It was a fun and practical way to apply maths skills—why not try this activity at home?
Seachtain na Gaeilge
The class really embraced the spirit of Seachtain na Gaeilge, taking part in a wide range of Irish language activities. Everyone made a great effort to use more Gaeilge throughout the week. Highlights included Lá Glas, a céilí, and a ceolchoirm. Maith sibh go léir! Tara

We had a very eventful start to the spring term!
The children proudly performed their Learn Together school assembly on the theme of perseverance, reminding everyone that even when things get tough, they’re going to “Keep on Movin’!”
They also attended an exciting talk from the STEAM Academy, where they had the unique opportunity to meet a robotic dog named PROX. It was a fascinating experience that sparked lots of curiosity and discussion.
In class, the children dove into engaging projects all about Italy, exploring its rich culture, fascinating history, and delicious cuisine. As a well-earned reward for all their hard work, they became chefs for a day—rolling up their sleeves to make their very own pizzas. Erano deliziosi! Sean

Blue took a special trip to the local library to celebrate World Book Day! The boys had the opportunity to explore a wide variety of books and texts, sparking plenty of curiosity and excitement about reading.
After the library visit, the fun continued with a surprise treat at McDonald’s! The boys were delighted, and it was a well-deserved reward after a morning full of learning and exploring.
A memorable day filled with stories, smiles, and shared experiences!

Our 5th Class students recently took part in a powerful and thought-provoking experience as part of the STEMpathy Project, which blends Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math with a strong emphasis on empathy.
In this hands-on workshop, students wore special goggles to impair their vision and gloves that limited their dexterity. These tools challenged them to complete everyday tasks while simulating the experiences of older adults or individuals with disabilities. It was an eye-opening opportunity for students to step into someone else’s shoes and reflect on the real-world barriers many people face.
As they navigated each challenge, the students didn’t just learn about the science behind assistive technology—they also discovered the vital role empathy plays in designing thoughtful, inclusive solutions.
The STEMpathy Project was a meaningful way for students to apply their STEM knowledge while developing compassion, understanding, and social awareness. It left a lasting impression and sparked some powerful conversations in the classroom.

This term, 5th Class Green began an exciting new project called STEMpathy, where we’re learning to develop empathy while exploring STEM through a hands-on, guided design process. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work in teams, collaborate, and build our communication skills. We’re looking forward to presenting our final projects soon!
We also had a great time celebrating World Book Day with a Book Buffet, where we sampled a variety of books and discovered new genres we love. It was a brilliant way to encourage reading for pleasure and share recommendations with our classmates.
To top it all off, we were thrilled to win the Golden Boot for Walking on Wednesdays! A big well done to everyone for their efforts in staying active and helping the environment. Aoife

6th Class Red have been busy designing and building their very own cardboard arcade games—and what a fantastic experience it was!
We had so much fun throughout the process, using our engineering skills, as well as developing our communication and teamwork abilities. Each group worked creatively and collaboratively to bring their unique game ideas to life.
Once completed, we invited other classes to try out our games—and they had a blast! It was a proud moment for all of us to see others enjoying something we worked so hard to create.

This February, 6th Class Green explored the Value of the Month: Honesty. We shared our learning with the school community through a thoughtful performance at the Learn Together Friday assembly.
Our presentation was based on the well-known fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” The story tells of a shepherd boy who repeatedly lies about a wolf attacking his flock. When a real wolf eventually appears, no one believes him—and the consequences are serious. The fable teaches an important life lesson: if you lie, people may stop trusting you—even when you're telling the truth.
We really enjoyed bringing this classic tale to life while sharing the message of honesty with others.

​The Gardening Club hard at work as Spring has Sprung! At the moment they have  peas, beans, radishes, onions and potatoes planted in raised beds, although they are slightly concerned about their peas and beans as they fear the birds may have eaten the seedlings…Work has also started on a Bug Hotel!

​We received some trees from SDCC  for National Tree Week. We were very lucky to have Niall from SDCC here today to share his knowledge with us and help us plant a cherry tree, a pear tree, an apple tree and a walnut tree.

​Students from 3rd & 4th class took part in Chess Club in term 2. The aims of the sessions were to develop students’ understanding of the game, accepting defeat, planning ahead, etiquette, teamwork, decision making, patience and resilience. 

The Green Schools Committee has been very busy picking up litter around the school. After a school grounds litter pick in February, the children decided it would be a great idea to invite nearby schools to help clean up the surrounding area.
On Friday, March 21st, we met up with Gaelscoil Naomh Pádraig and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada. The event was a huge success, and we collected a lot of rubbish. We hope to make this a bi-annual event going forward.

Bhí Seachtain na Gaeilge ina ceiliúradh iontach in Esker ETNS! Bhí an scoil lán le sceitimíní agus na páistí ag cleachtadh don Chéilí Mór agus ag glacadh páirte i dtaisceadóireacht Gaeilge. Tógadh gach acmhainn Gaeilge a chuireamar ar fáil do theaghlaigh, agus bhí an díograis don teanga dochreidte.
 
Bhí suim mhór sa chomórtas póstaer teaghlaigh, agus bhí sé dochreidte Gaeilge a fheiceáil taobh le teangacha dúchais eile, ag léiriú ilchineálacht ár scoile. Bhí Gaeilge le cloisteáil i ngach áit—sna seomraí ranga, amuigh sa chlós, agus níos faide anonn—agus bhí na páistí ag baint taitnimh as a gcuid cúpla focal a úsáid.
 
Chríochnaigh an tseachtain ar nóta ard le trí chéilithe ar Lá Glas agus ceolchoirm iontach. Ghlac breis agus 50 tuismitheoir ó Naíonáin Shóisir agus Shinsearacha páirt sa chéilí sóisir, rud a chuir leis an lúcháir. Bhí fuinneamh dochreidte ann an tseachtain ar fad—bhí an scoil beo bríomhar le Gaeilge!
 
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir!
 
Seachtain na Gaeilge was a fantastic celebration of Gaeilge in Esker ETNS! The school buzzed with excitement as children practiced for our Céilí Mór and took part in a Gaeilge treasure hunt. Our free Gaeilge resources for families were snapped up, and the enthusiasm for the language was incredible.
 
Our family poster competition saw huge interest, with beautiful posters showcasing Gaeilge alongside mother tongue languages, reflecting the diversity of our school. Gaeilge filled the classrooms, the yard, and beyond as children embraced their cúpla focal.
 
The week ended on a high with three céilís on Lá Glas and a fantastic concert. Over 50 parents from Junior and Senior Infants joined in the junior céilí, adding to the joy. The energy all week was contagious—our school was truly alive with Gaeilge!
 
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir!

​Thank you so much to our wonderful PTA for organising our annual Book and Treat Sale! Thank you to all of our families who baked, shopped and donated books and treats for us to buy on the day. We had the best time!

​As I write the sun is shining and I can hear the happy voices of children playing outside in the fresh air. Here’s hoping the good weather will last,as Term 3 is going  to be jampacked with fun activities such as  school tours, sports days and of course the  Graduation Ceremony for our departing 6th Class.
 
Below are a few important dates for your diaries.

• Primary Maths Curriculum Closure Day: Thursday 8th May
• International Day of Families: Thursday 15th May
• New Junior Infant parent evening - 22nd May
• School tours - May / June
• Sports Day: Thursday 20th June
• Graduation: Wednesday 25th of June

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All the staff of Esker ETNS

Spanish Club with Carmen (1st-6th)
Carmen ran the Spanish Club this year for a group of children from 1st-6th. The children learned some Spanish words, some aspects of Spanish culture and worked on some Spanish art.

Games & Movies Club with Carmen (1st- 6th)
A group of 1st-6th class children participated in Games and Movies Club this term. We had lots of fun playing different games and watching movies.

And so 2024 draws to a close.
To those of you who celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, both of which occur on December 25th this year-Seasons Greeting to you all!
And to the entire Esker ETNS school community, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and peaceful New Year, and a restful and restorative winter holiday. 
See you all on Monday 6th January, 2025.

With very best wishes,
Gemma and all the staff of Esker ETNS.

                                                       *****************************


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​Hello to all our parents, guardians, families and members of the Esker School Community. It’s June already and another action packed and fun-filled school year is drawing to a close. For us it has been happy and hectic, and I hope the same is true for you.
This year we asked the children rather than the teachers to write something about their experiences of the year. Here’s a sample of the children’s contributions! 

This term, our students are actively participating in a variety of extracurricular activities! From tossing around new skills at Ultimate Frisbee to hitting their strides at Cricket, there's been something for everyone! The Lego club was building up creativity. The Football Club continues to be a hit, with students showing great teamwork and enthusiasm.

A special mention to our 5th class students for their impressive ''STEMpathy'' projects, showing their innovative solutions to real-world problems with empathy and creativity. Congratulations to all the students who made their First Holy Communion last month.

Finally a very special mention to Rosa, from Junior Infants, who donated her hair to the Laura Lynn Hospice. Her generosity is a shining example of the kindness and community spirit that our students embody every day. We're thrilled to see them not only excelling academically but also enriching their lives through such meaningful endeavours. 

Every year brings new children, new learning and activities. The children embraced every thing this year with enthusiasm and energy, be it Mighty Oaks, Say yes to languages, Women in Tech, Cuman na mBunscoil, Active week, Maths week, Mellow Yellow day, the Esker Fete, Learn Together Showcases, STEMpathy projects and much more.

We have enjoyed every single day with your children - teaching together and learning together.

We hope that you and your family get to slow down over the summer and enjoy some quality family time together away from the pressures of time. Enjoy the outdoors and the simple pleasures of walks, reading and playing board games.

A special farewell to our wonderful 6th class - we will miss this extraordinary bunch and look forward to hearing all about your new schools.

And so another successful year draws to a close. On behalf of all the Esker Staff I would like to thank you for your continued support, participation and engagement in the life of the school. We've enjoyed the year immensely and we hope your children have too.
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We look forward to further adventures next year!

Wishing you a happy, restful summer.

​Gemma & Entire Esker Staff

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                                               Spring 2024 Newsletter
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Greetings to all of our Parents, Guardians and members of the extended Esker School Community. Time is flying and term 2 of the school year is almost complete. Once again we can report it has been a busy and productive 10 weeks.  Take a look at a snapshot of school life this term.
 
6th Green
Sixth Class Green attended an ‘Eccentric Energy’ talk in Lucan Library on Tuesday 5th of March. We investigated potential energy, wind energy, kinetic energy, electricity, heat and more! 
 
This has been a busy term and we are learning more than ever before. We have been learning about the universe, the objects we can find, how it was created and what will happen, but what is clear is that knowledge will take us to infinity and beyond!
As well as learning, we've had lots of fun. We especially enjoyed getting to know our buddies in Junior Infants when we took them for a Spring Walk!

6th Red
Term 2 in 6th Red has flown by in a whirlwind of hard work and good fun!   Our maths work has been focused on maths talk, fractions, decimals, percentages, 3D shape, the circle, time, multiplication and division to name just a few. We have also been making our own maths book, using book-creator.  We chose our favourite topic to work on and included a complex problem for other students to solve, so we are learning from each other too.  During station tim we have been busy  learning computer science and coding. We have been creating computer programs, developing problem-solving skills, working through fun challenges and making computer games. In  History we have been working on a  WW11 project. For art, we constructed arcade games from cardboard and invited other classes to enjoy them. In PE we were focusing on the gymnastics strand and then moved on to dance for our St. Patrick’s Day Ceilí. Something we all really enjoyed was our Buddy Walks with the Junior Infants. What else? We made characters for World Book Day-we learned how to sew-as you can see, we’ve been busy!!

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5th Green
Term 2 has been a very busy term for 5th class Green. The children had great fun taking part in lots of World Book Day activities, including a whole school DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, featuring favourite teddies, blankets and other cosy things,  and a World Book Day quiz. Seachtaine na Gaeilge was a great chance for 5th class green to use their cúpla focal and have a bit of spraoi! The children also took part in various Kindness Week activities including a chance to go on a buddy walk with 1st class Green (which also featured some words of affirmation), daily circle times and a whole school kindness assembly. 

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5th Red
This term has been full of fun and exciting new experiences. We embraced the "Say Yes to Languages" introduction to Spanish programme. The class really enjoyed these engaging and entertaining lessons, which have kindled a genuine interest in and curiosity about the Spanish language! We had a wonderful World Book Day, an empathetic  Kindness Week, and most recently, an exciting Seachtain na Gaeilge. We have started our STEMpathy journey also,  which we hope to showcase for the parents after the Easter break. This will encompass all things Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths with a sprinkling of empathy thrown in, helping us to develop a better future as we plan for the year 2100.  

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4th Red
This has been a very busy term so far for 4th class red! We’ve celebrated kindness week, we’ve had a book tasting and a very busy International women’s day last week. This week we have Seachtain na Gaeilge, Buddy Reading  and Ramadan, we’ve loads to share! Take a look below at the photo of  our book tasting, where we got a chance to try out a variety of genres including a few we’d never come across before!

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4th Green
Term 2 has been a busy and productive one in 4th class Green. There has been lots of learning and hard work taking place as well as oodles of fun and exciting activities and events to get stuck into. 4th class completed their ‘Say Yes to Languages’ Introduction to Spanish program led by the fabulous Maria Teresa. These fun and interactive sessions went down a treat with the boys and girls in 4th Green and have sparked a real love and curiosity for the Spanish language! We enjoyed a cosy World Book Day, a nourishing Kindness Week and most recently an action packed Seachtain na Gaeilge. 4th class made a big effort showing off their Irish comhra this week and particularly loved the Ceili Mor and buddy reading with senior infants. We learned all about dental hygiene thanks to Mona and Shermeen and continued on with our Women in Tech talks which are inspiring both girls and boys to consider a future career in technology. 

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3rd Green
Students in 3rd class Green have been very busy this term but one aspect of their learning that they really enjoyed was their research about Japan. We were lucky enough to have a contact in Japan who sent us a video asking us some questions about Ireland. The students enjoyed answering these questions and making videos to send to this special guest. Students also looked at some photographs from their teacher’s time in Japan and made questions to send to the guest. Along with this, students practised using chopsticks over a number of weeks before finally trying them out with their school lunches. Check out the chopstick skills in the photo!

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2nd Green 
​2nd Green have been learning all about water - exploring floating and sinking, the Titanic, fish tanks, pond life and water safety. We have been doing lots of experiments and fun activities. We even wrote old letters, imagining we were on board the Titanic! We also performed during assembly, went on a buddy walk,  read outside for World Book Day, danced in the céilí for Seachtain na Gaeilge and created some books on the i-pads. We finished off our term with a pizza party - delicious!

2nd Red
2nd Class Red have been working hard to develop their skills on the ipads. We have been using the iPads during English, Maths and SESE lessons. We have been learning to scan QR codes, to use the Book Creator app to take and upload a photograph and to make a voice recording. We really enjoy using technology in the classroom. 

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1st Green
First Class Green have really enjoyed their second term in school! We have been very busy over the last few weeks. We really enjoyed taking part in Kindness Week. We went on a buddy walk with our friends in Fifth Class Green. We made lots of new friends and enjoyed giving each other compliments! We also enjoyed World Book Day. We brought in slippers, blankets and our favourite book. When we finished our reading we enjoyed some hot chocolate.  We also mastered our baking skills this term by making some delicious cupcakes. We have really enjoyed our second term!

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1st Red
First class have had a fantastic second term! We have kept in touch with our pen pals and we enjoyed a cosy World Book Day. We have really enjoyed doing Lift Off and are really proud of all our hard work. 

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Senior Infants Green
Senior Infants have been learning about people who help us in our community. We have been Role Playing in the Fire Station and we have had a very exciting visit from Garda Alan from Pearse St Station! We asked him lots of questions and even got a tour of a Garda Vehicle!

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Senior Infants Red
Senior Infants Red performed their Learn-Together showcase in front of the whole school! They showed the audience a slideshow about what they’ve been learning in Aistear - 'The Restaurant'. They then performed a funny drama called 'There's a Fly in My Soup!' Finally they finished with a wonderful performance of Nat King Cole's 'L-O-V-E' for Valentines Day. 

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And last, but by no means least …
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Junior Infants Green
Junior Infants were learning about the journey of a letter. The children wrote their letter, put a stamp on it and then went on a walk to the post box with 6th class Green. We posted our letters  to our homes. The children were delighted when their letters arrived safely. 
Another highlight for the infants was when their big biddies in 6th class Green read books to us as Gaeilge  during Seachtain na Gaeilge.

Junior Infants Red
Junior Infants have been enjoying planting cress seeds and going on a Springtime walk this month, whatever the weather!

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In other news …

A message from Linda
Our cookbook is coming along really well and we have close to 40 recipes from parents and staff! We’ve had a great time tasting the delicious dishes and chatting about the heritage of the food and countries they come from. We will be launching our cookbook in June at our Summer Fete.
English classes were running this term with a tutor from the ETB, they are going so well that we will be continuing after Easter. If you would like to join the classes (Tuesday mornings), please get in touch with me.
Our wonderful PTA presented some gorgeous books about Neurodiversity to the school in February. Each class in the school has received a range of books- Thank You PTA.

Student Council
Currently the Student Council are at the planning stage for their next projects.
A survey of all classes was carried out to get ideas for what to do. Reps from older classes visited the junior classes to seek their input.
Following this consultation process all the ideas were collated by Anna and Victoria (3rd class reps). Ideas were grouped under different headings-e.g Special Days-Building Awareness Days -Active Days. Consideration was also given to choosing projects which the SC could manage themselves, with minimal input from teachers. The view was that there was no point choosing a project, even if it was a fun idea, if the SC would have to hand it over to teachers to organise.
After several meetings and much discussion, two projects were chosen.
Mellow Yellow Day (suggested and led by Kitty and Sarah in 4th). This will be a dress-up/ fundraising day -the children will wear yellow and bring in €2.. 
Summer Scavenger Hunt (suggested by Christopher in 3rd class). The SC acknowledge there will need to be teacher input in this in order to create a scavenger hunt that will be suitably challenging for all class levels. Research was done and samples were downloaded from the internet. It was agreed to consult Liz, as she leads the Active Committee. Liz is happy to help and is going to attend the next meeting, which is scheduled for Friday 15th March.
It should be noted that the members of the SC are giving up their lunch breaks to meet currently, so as not to miss class time.
Catherine, who attends the meetings, has been really impressed by their energy, commitment and organisational abilities.


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Green School’s Committee
The Green Schools Committee has been very busy over the last couple of weeks. They have been  helping First Class to research where our food comes from. They are very excited because the seeds from Incredible Edibles have arrived.They have already planted strawberries and  they are looking forward to planting more with Barry and Anna  in the next few weeks. The yard and school grounds look better since the litter pick. The collection of the waste batteries is progressing nicely. Reminder -please send in any used batteries that you have at home. Every battery counts!

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Active Committee
The active committee had a great time during Friendship week, leading the classes around the active trail and helping the younger children to read the compliments there to be read.
“Feel Good Fridays” will be running throughout March, where the active committee are teaching the children in the whole school different yard games during little breaks each Friday.
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Santry Trials
Trials for the Dublin Schools Athletics Competition for U14s and U12s boys and girls took place on Thursday the 21st of March. Training for the competition, which is held in Santry, will then take place each week after the holidays.

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World Book Day
Ireland celebrated World Book Day on March 7th, and here in Esker we marked the occasion with a lovely relaxed day filled with reading related activities. Children brought in things that made them feel cosy -cuddly toys, blankets, cushions and slippers-and got comfortable reading their favourite books. 4th class participated in a Book Tasting Menu. Junior to Senior classes  buddied up for story time and every class spent the day on interesting reading related activities. The children are currently participating in a “Readathon” whereby each class counts the number of books they read over a six week period. The competition continues until 12th April, when there will be a prize for the winning class. Hopefully lots of reading will take place over the holidays!

Seachtain na Gaeilge
D’éirigh thar barr le Seachtain na Gaeilge i mbliana. Bhí seachtain an-ghníomhach againn ag foghlaim ár ndamhsaí céilí agus fiú ceol a bheith againn sa chlós ag am sosa le damhsa a dhéanamh! Bhí cairde ag léamh as Gaeilge sna ranganna ar fad, agus na páistí níos sine ag léamh go dtí na ranganna níos óige ag baint úsáide as ár leabhair Ghaeilge nua. Don chéad uair riamh thugamar cuireadh do thuismitheoirí páirt a ghlacadh inár gcéilí sóisearacha. Bhí tuairim is seasca tuismitheoir/aintín/uncailí/seantuismitheoirí páirteach sa rince agus craic! Buíochas le gach duine a sheol grianghraif isteach dár gcomórtas, maith sibh lenár mbuaiteoirí Johar agus Sahib. Is seachtain iontach í i gcónaí nuair a fheiceann na páistí an Ghaeilge ag teacht ar an saol ar bhealach an-bhrí.

This year's Seachtain na Gaeilge was a huge success. We had a very active week learning our céilí dances and even having music in the yard at break time to dance to! Buddy reading in Irish happened in all the classes, with the older children reading to the younger classes using our new Irish books. For the first time ever we invited parents to take part in our junior céilí. We had about sixty parents/aunties/uncles/grandparents join in the dancing and craic! Thanks to everyone who sent in photos for our competition, well done to our winners Johar and Sahib. It's always such a great week where the children see the Irish language coming to life in a very meaningful way.

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Movement Trail 
We have a fantastic new resource in Esker for our pupils’ movement breaks. Children can now stop off at 12 stations around the school, scan a QR Code and have fun trying out some sports skills with our new dedicated sports equipment. The trail is a lot of fun, helps our pupils develop their motor skills and helps them focus when they get back to class. A big thank you to our pupils who made demonstration videos for the trail, and to Katie and Aisling who got the whole trail up and running. 

Gross Motor Skills
20 pupils from 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th have been having lots of fun in the hall every morning doing sport with Katie, Liz, Harriet and Mary. We work in stations on sports activities that help us develop our gross motor skills in a really fun way. It’s a great way to start the morning, and the children agree that starting this way helps them to focus and concentrate better for the rest of the day. 

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The Big Sing
Excitement is building amongst the members of the Esker Choir as the countdown to this year’s Big Sing concert has begun. 
The concert takes place in the National Stadium on the evening of 18th April. 40 pupils from 3rd -6th  will join choirs from 10 other schools to perform a repertoire of twelve songs and medleys which they have been practising since the start of term-that’s a lot of words to learn! Well done to all the choir members for their efforts -we’re sure it’s going to be a wonderful musical evening!

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Sixth Class Chess Tournament
The pupils of Esker did us proud last Thursday, 7th March when they represented their school at the Ficheall Chess Tournament in St Lorcán’s, Palmerstown. 32 pupils attended, and each participant played 6 matches over the course of the day. I’m told we did very well, although we have to wait a couple of weeks to find out the official results. But whether we won or lost, the attitude and behaviour of our pupils is what made the school really proud. They were polite, friendly, co-operative and sporting. A credit to their families  and their school. Many thanks to Katie and Daniel for getting so many students interested in the game and  for organising our participation in the event.

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Book and Treat Sale
One of the favourite days of the year in school is the Book and Treat Sale. The children really enjoy visiting the hall, browsing the wares and choosing what to buy. Many thanks to our super Parents’ Association for organising another successful sale, and for all the work they do on behalf of the school. Currently there is great excitement as the children view the many chocolatey prizes to be won at the Spring Raffle, another annual favourite run by the PTA.

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After School Extra- Curricular Activities

Art Club with Louise and Mary
Art Club was run this term for 1st  and 2nd  Class. 
 The children made lots of different crafts and developed new skills. They drew and designed robins, made love bugs for Valentine’s Day and created beautiful tulips for Spring! They enjoyed a party on their last day of Art Club too! 


Lego Club with Arlene
Lego Club was run this term for 1st and 2nd Class.
The children from 1st and 2nd class were so excited to be a part of Lego Club. Each week they were encouraged to take on different challenges, but of course we always had time for some free play too!  The children engaged well with each other each week, developing their social  and turn taking skills. They also enjoyed their little treat on the last day! 🙂

Science Club with Eimear
Science Club was run this term for 3rd and 4th Class. 
The children engaged in both science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) activities. We improved our coding skills on the iPads. We also  designed and built balloon powered cars and even a marble run!

Drama Club with Laura
Drama Club was run this term for 3rd and 4th class.
The children  had the opportunity to take part in a range of drama activities and even made up and performed their own mini drama sketches in small groups. We had lots of fun playing drama games and there was lots of giggles during the ‘Try not to Laugh’ game.



Tin Whistle with Emma
Tin Whistle was run again this term for 3rd Class. 
We focused on traditional Irish tunes. We showed off our new found musical talent when we  performed at assembly for Lá Glas.  All the whistlers take a bow!

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Frisbee Club with Emer
Frisbee Club was run this term for 4th and 5th Class. 
We have welcomed some students back into the frisbee club this term, but most students who have joined are new to the sport. Each week we start with basic throwing skills, practising backhand and forehand throws. We then go into a drill involving throwing and catching. Finally, we end with a match, 6v6 / 7v7. We then finish our session with a “Spirit Circle” which is practised in the community of frisbee players after every training session or match. The spirit circle is a positive reflection space where players can highlight things they liked about the session or players that stood out for them.

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Crochet Club with Catherine R
Crochet Club was run this term for 4th, 5th and 6th Class. 
We have had so much fun this term and are so sad to be finishing up. We have gone from not being able to slip stitch, to beginning our first granny squares. Soon we’ll be master-crocheters!
                                                 

Soccer Club with Rob
Soccer Club was run this term for 5th and 6th Class. A great effort has been put in by all working on the basic fundamentals of football, along with some more advanced skills and techniques. I’ve seen great progress so far. In addition, it has allowed us to improve our general wellness and level of fitness while having fun.                                                  


Festivals  marked over the past term.
As an Educate Together school, it is important to us to celebrate diversity and acknowledge special occasions in the calendar for members of all faiths and none.
This term we researched, discussed and acknowledged  St Brigid’s Day on 1st February, Chinese New Year on February 10th, the beginning of Lent on February 14th, and the start of Ramadan on March 11th. We send our best wishes to all members of the community who celebrated important days over the past few months.
Special congratulations go to the 6th Class children who made their confirmation at St. Patrick’s Church  on Saturday 2nd March. Well done Oscar, Ben, Fionn, Noah, Jamie, Daria, Zuzanna, Tommy and Bobby.

To finish.....
Thanks to all members of the Esker school Community for their support this  term and their participation in events and activities. May we take this opportunity to wish all our Muslim families Ramadan Mubarak and to all those of the Christian faith, Happy Easter. To everyone else, Happy Holidays! Enjoy the rest, enjoy family time and the outdoors.
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We’ll see you all back again bright and early on Monday 8th April for the start of our summer term.
Best wishes,

All the staff of Esker ETNS

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In addition to the above elected committees, a number of other groups were formed to give students as many opportunities as possible to have their voices heard. The Active Committee was  formed, not by election but through consensus and collaboration. In addition to this, some members of Sixth Class took the initiative to form a Kindness Committee and an Active Citizen’s Committee. We look forward to sharing news of their work in our next newsletter.

Maths Week
We had huge parental involvement in maths week this year. Parental involvement is key to children's success in school so I want to thank all the parents who gave up their time to come and join us for some numeracy fun. The lasting impact on your children will be invaluable for their continuing education.

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Junior Infants
Our Junior Infants have impressed us all with the way in which they have settled into the routine of life in Big School. They have learnt the important skills of managing in a busy classroom, with lots of new faces, new activities and new routines. And of course lots of learning has taken place. In September, the children were learning about different types of homes. In October the topics were Autumn and the Supermarket. It was also the month when parents visited us and took part in Maths Week and Clover Reading. In November the topic was Construction and this month the children have been learning about Winter and The Animals of the Artic.
Lots of adjusting, lots of fun, lots of activity and lots of learning. We’re proud of our newest recruits!

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Third Red were all really excited last week when a delivery from Eason’s arrived in their classroom. They now have lots of new library books which the students are really enjoying! The most popular books in the class are Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Laura, Emer and Leah hope all Third Class Students will visit the library with their mums and dads, and keep up their reading over the holidays.



Fourth Class
As we write 4th class Red and Green are busy rehearsing for the Winter Showcase. 4th Red are going to treat us to two songs from Matilda, whilst 4th Green are working on a drama entitled “Christmas Rescue” . Both casts are very excited about the concert and  are  working very hard to put on two brilliant performances. We can’t wait to see them!
Another interesting learning experience for 4th class this term was the talk given by Breda & Elenore, representatives from Women in Tech. They came to visit both classes twice,  once in  October and again in December.  The aim of the talks are to develop and strengthen the interest and attitudes of young people, especially girls, in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).  Research on gender and STEM tells us that in order for young women to pursue a career in STEM,  they must believe in its importance,  and believe in their ability to succeed in the field
 
These talks were inclusive of both boys and girls.  The children were highly engaged  and contributed actively with hands up every few seconds asking questions and offering their opinions.  
 
The children  learned about hacking, ways to stay safe online,  how to think up safe passwords and how biometrics such as fingerprints and eye detection can help to keep us extra safe.
 


5th Green 
Written by our class member Ross.

MIGHTY OAKS? MORE LIKE MIGHTY FOLKS!
This term everyone in 5th Class green took part in the Public Speaking Program ‘Mighty Oaks’.
This program helped us all to speak without fear in front of others and helped all the students running for Student Council and Green-school to speak with confidence.  We learned the difference between a good speech and a great speech. 
Each week we learned a new skill about giving a speech without fear. We also learned about the point of a speech, how to write a good introduction as well as your main points, and finally how to finish your speech strong and leave an impact. 
The newly elected Green-school and Student council will be sure to Stand Tall and speak with confidence this coming year.

MATHS WEEK
This term we also had Maths week. Activities included a maths treasure hunt, a scavenger game where you scan a picture and it asked you a variety of maths questions, as well as the annual students and parent’s maths quiz. The maths scavenger hunt was definitely my favourite activity that week.
HALLOWEEN FUN
During this term it was October, you know what that means IT WAS HALLOWEEN! On the last day before midterm, we did a parade, but not just any parade it was a double up! That means each senior class was paired with a junior class and they would walk together. Even with all of these fun celebrations, our teacher Tara and many other teachers gave us loads of sweets. That day was one of the best Halloweens this school has done in all my time in Esker!​

Sixth Class
Who said science was just theory? Following on from Science Week, 6th Class Green got to put the theory into practice during their work on fossils. First they had to do some scientific research to ascertain which of two newspaper reports was correct. One said that dinosaur fossils had been found and the other stated that they were magmatic rocks.
After their research, they set about making dinosaur fossils themselves. Here they are straight from the Jurassic. Have a good  look at them before they’re sent off to the museum!


Here’s a  gallery of some other Sixth Class Activities this term.​

            Making Fossils                                   Halloween Parade                            Cycling Lessons

Rob’s Rovers
This term 5th and 6th  got to play for Rob’s Rangers for a temporary 8 week contract. All players will probably be talent- spotted and bought for exorbitant sums by Premier League teams. We’ll be able to say they got their start in Esker ETNS.

Of course, many other events, visits, talks, classes and activities took place this term,  too many to include. Everyone worked hard, and everyone is looking forward to a relaxing winter break, as I’m sure you are yourselves. 
We look forward to seeing you back at 10 past 9 on Monday 8th January.
On behalf of all the staff of Esker ETNS, may I wish you a happy, healthy, safe and peaceful holiday season, and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Warm Regards,
Gemma and the Esker ETNS Team

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Greetings to all of our Parents, Guardians and members of the extended Esker School Community. We can’t believe the school year is drawing to a close and the holidays are approaching!  We are happy to report that it has been a wonderfully positive year, and huge learning has been achieved. Many thanks to all of you for the myriad ways  you have helped us to support your children. 

The last term of the year is often the favourite for the children -it’s a high energy term of School Tours, Sports Days, Outdoor Education and so much more besides.

Read on for a taste of what has been happening in school over the last couple of months!

Wellbeing Week
We kicked off the term with Wellbeing Week, which we celebrated from the 24th-28th of April. This initiative was ably led by Louise from First Class Green. It  resulted in us receiving our Amber flag, which is awarded in recognition of the efforts that schools go to in order to create healthy and inclusive environments for children. During the week the children engaged in a range of different activities designed to promote a feeling of well- being- mindfulness, mindful colouring, yoga, walks and outdoor reading to name but a few. Peace, tranquillity and goodwill emanated from teachers and pupils alike as a result!

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Active week
Active week took place from 14th -18th June and  the children were kept on their toes by multiple activities arranged by Liz from 4th class and Heidi from 6th class. Throughout each day there were  lessons and presentations on sporting themes and  opportunities for movement and activity, starting with exercises in the yard before the children had even entered the school building!. A big hit was the “Active Schools Walkway” – a route around the school designed for the children to explore. They searched for clues and posts along the route and then completed a different active task whenever they found one. The route meandered around the school grounds, taking in  the “Esker Forest” and  “Fairy Garden”. 

Children from 3rd to 6th also competed in a lunchtime football tournament, with the winners facing the teachers in the Grand Final! I’m delighted to report that the teachers won! 

Linda managed to draft in parents too, and many came in to have a go on the South County Dublin “Smoothie Bike” – a crazy contraption which used pedal power to produce delicious fruit smoothies!

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Public Speaking Training      
One of the skills we aim to nurture in the children is the ability to speak confidently and competently in a public situation. First Class Red were very lucky to get to trial a new public speaking programme for the school. They learnt about the importance of eye contact, gestures, voice and movement within the speaking space. These are skills which all the children will be working on in the coming years, skills which will undoubtedly stand to them in their future studies and work lives.  

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Esker and the Environment.
Looking after the environment is something we take seriously in Esker, and it’s an issue we try to promote in various ways.
Biodiversity Ireland
In May, 3rd class had a visit from Mairéad from Biodiversity Ireland. She spoke  about pollinators and insects in the local area. They had a presentation and discussion in class before going out to the  outdoor space. They searched around the plants by the carpark and over in the forest area to look for bees, caterpillars, butterflies, spiders, woodlice and spiders. They used magnifying glasses and small containers to observe the creatures before letting them free in their natural habitat.

Outdoor Learning
Using the environment as a learning space was a feature this term. Teachers received training in how to use outdoor spaces as a resource to teach aspects of all curricular subjects. Thereafter the children experienced the benefits of this training, and our mini “Forest” area was scheduled for use by all classes at various times to teach a range of subjects.



The War on Litter and Waste!
First Class Green had a special visit from Lucan Tidy Towns.  The children were keen to inform the members from Tidy Towns about our school's efforts to keep the immediate environment clean and green. First Class assisted Tidy Towns on a litter pick around the grounds. 
2nd Class participated in  'Picker Pals', an environmental programme for children and their families. Pupils took turns to bring home the “Picker Pack” which they used to litter pick in their local area. Through engagement with the programme, pupils are developing a greater awareness about the need to find practical solutions to the global crisis of waste in the environment.  

3rd class Green reduced their food waste from the hot lunches this term by cancelling and changing their orders. In fact, they were the class to reduce the most food waste in the school! Because of their sustainable efforts, they won a litter pick in the local area. A surprising popular and practical prize! 


Ruaille Buaille Children’s Arts Festival

The Junior and Senior infant classes made beautiful Musical Magical wands with Ruaille Buille on Friday 9th of June. The children used sticks and craft materials to make their wands. Children were invited to bring their Musical Wands to the children’s Music festival which took place in Griffeen Park the following day, and to participate in the performances.

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The Boys in Blue!
A message from Paula.
We've been learning all about The Garden Centre in Blue this month. We read book Ten Seeds, learned a song about the different parts of plant, played with compost, planted cress seeds and watered wild flowers in the garden. We loved using spades and trowels and trying on gardening gloves. Here we are in the shed in the fairy garden. We are pretending it's a garden centre where we can buy plants, flowers and seeds! We read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears this week and made porridge in the staff room. We made sure that it wasn't too hot or too cold. It was just right! We also baked little bear cakes and decorated them with icing. We love cooking and baking in the staff room! 

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History Around Us.

On Thursday 22nd June, our fifth classes went on a local walk with the Society for Old Lucan. They used carbon paper to make rubbings and discover the dates on the graves- some were over 150 years old. They looked at artefacts of tiles, ceramics and even an old pipe! They really enjoyed learning more about the history of the local area. 

Be the Teacher!
Third Class had huge fun and some serious learning when  teachers Laura and Giorgia gave their classes the opportunity to 'Be the teacher'. In June, the students in both Green and Red 3rd classes got the opportunity to 'be the teacher'. The children brainstormed, planned, prepared, gathred resources and taught lessons to one another based on their area of interest. The children listened to and learned from one another each day. They also got to see what it was like to manage a class for a short time. We had drawing lessons, cricket stations, football skills, dance classes, SPHE lessons, obstacle courses, Arabic lessons, painting classes, gloop making classes, basketball skills, GAA lessons, handwriting classes and more! We definitely have some future teachers and coaches in 3rd class... watch this space!


Green Schools

The Green School Committee's goal this year was to reduce food waste at Esker  and they did a fantastic job. In one month alone, the number of uneaten hot lunches in the school was reduced by 160. The Green School Committee also helped to reduce food waste in the staff room. They emptied the compost bin every week and fed this food waste to the wormery and later used the 'worm tea' to fertilise the raised beds in the fairy garden. Mairéad from Biodiversity in Schools did a pollinator workshop with the committee and taught the group all about the importance of bees and pollination. We've noticed lots of bees pollinating the lavender flowers at the front of the school this month! Finally, we took part in the National Spring Clean. We had a fantastic group of parents helping us on the day and we collected bags upon bags of rubbish! A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered! We appreciate you! 
 Here you can see our committee at work using leaves from the leaf mould cage and compost from the wormery to prepare  raised beds before planting beans, squash, beetroot, pumpkins and sunflowers under Barry’s watchful eye.




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Sports News from Heidi.
This year we had many sports teams and individuals participating in local and national competitions.  

Through sport, the children get a great sense of wellbeing and happiness. It develops confidence and teamworking skills. We are an inclusive school where the emphasis in sport is in breaking down barriers so that all children have a chance to participate.

We started the year with Gaelic football.  5th and 6th class learnt new, and practised old  skills in our after school GAA club, and then played in the Cumann na Mbunscol Gaelic Football and in school matches that were held locally. We represented the school very well and our skills were well honed by the time we got a few matches under our belt.  We learned how to win and lose with grace.  We made happy memories.

Later on in the year 5th and 6th played in the FAI football tournament.  Once again they acquitted themselves well, improving and refining. They played  their soccer skills along the way.  Our ball handling skills, sports thinking and teamwork were very much in evidence  here. 

We had training from a visiting basketball coach once a week for 3rd - 6th class.  The ball work and hand eye coordination they learned was excellent and transferable to other sports too.  

We played a table cricket tournament with coaches from Cricket Ireland.  Our 6th class Cricket team played in a cricket blitz in Terenure and had great success at that.  Again the fundamental skills of hand- eye coordination, bat and ball handling, running and communication were key.  The team, again, did an excellent job of representing their school and most importantly had fun doing so.  

5th and 6th class Athletes went to UCD to participate in Cumann na mBunscol Athletics. The children all recorded their personal best on the day, which is quite an achievement.  They also sang their way back home on the bus, with a collective haul of 11 medals. 

It was a great year for sport.  Roll on next year for even more!  Remember your local clubs and get involved with GAA, Football, Basketball and Athletics. If you need help in finding a contact for a local club let us know and we can link you with a coach.  


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Flag Raising Festivities.
June 20th saw another day of celebration in Esker, with a visit from Mayor of Lucan, Emma Murphy and MEP Barry Andrews and Cllr Shane Moynihan. These esteemed guests  were here to help us raise our Active, our Amber and our Pride flag. The rain held off, the sun shone and we all enjoyed the celebrations. The highlight of which as the visit from the ice-cream van! 500 ice cream cones served in little more than an hour!

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A Fond Farewell!
The Sixth Class graduation took place on Friday 23rd of June, and it was with great fondness that we bade farewell to the Class of 2023. Parents attended a beautiful, moving ceremony at which our wonderful 6th class shared memories of their time in Esker and demonstrated their considerable talents through their artwork and songs. Congratulations to you all, we’re proud of you and wish you all the luck in the world as you embark on this next exciting chapter of your lives!

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And so the school year draws to a close. To the many Muslim families who are celebrating Eid, we wish you every happiness of the season. We wish all our families a happy, healthy and sun-filled summer, and we look forward to seeing you  back here on 31st August at 9.10am.

Best Wishes and Happy Holidays,

Gemma, Catherine and the staff of Esker ETNS


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Lego Club

Children from a number of classes have been invited to join Lego Clubs, which are a fun way of developing listening, speaking and co-operative working skills. 
In the Lego Clubs children learn to work together as part of a team. They also work on their communication skills.
Each child has a role to play - the Engineer, the Supplier and the Builder. Each Lego Club is provided with a large Lego set, together with an instruction manual outlining the step-by step instructions to make a variety of models. The Engineer’s job is to read the instructions and describe what Lego brick are needed. The Supplier must find the specific bricks and give them  to the Builder. The Builder follows the Engineer’s instructions  to assemble the model correctly.. 
It is a lot of fun and the children must work together as a team and give lots of really clear instructions. 

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And so term 2 draws to a close. We would like to take this opportunity to wish those of you who celebrate Eid, Eid Mubarak, and to those of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter. Happy holidays to all of you and we look forward to seeing you back for a busy final term on Monday, 17th April.
Slán go fóill (Bye for now),
Gemma and all the staff of Esker ETNS.

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Seasons Greetings to all our families and friends! We hope you are all well and keeping warm in this wintry weather.
 
As always it’s been a busy couple of months in Esker ETNS. Below is a round up of what’s been happening in school since our last newsletter.
 
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In Esker ETNS we place great importance on promoting a love of sports and staying healthy. There’s been lots happening in this area this term. Many thanks to Heidi and Liz for all their hard work in this regard.
 
Our Sports News
 
 Table Cricket 
Naomi and Anne from Cricket Ireland ran a table cricket competition in November.  Table cricket is a crossover sport between Cricket and Table Tennis.  The children have hand signs to show the outcome of the ball being bowled.  This really brings the game to life.  It is a very inclusive game. 
This was an internal competition.  Lots of the children from 2nd to 6th participated in this event.  Everyone got a T-shirt and certificate.  It was super fun and enjoyed by all. 
 
Basketball 
Erin from Basketball Ireland has been visiting our school on Wednesdays to coach and develop skills in basketball.  The children from 3rd to 6th have been involved in this activity and have loved every minute of it. There are some skilled basketball players emerging from these sessions.   
 
Athletics
A number of children from 3rd and 4th class participated in an athletics training course after school on  Tuesdays run by Gerry from Lucan Harriers. They really enjoyed the sessions and showed considerable improvement in their fitness level over a short period. The plan is that Athletics will return in the early Spring, and we hope that this will lead to our participation  in  Cross Country competitions with other schools. Well done to all the athletes who took part.
 
Swimming
We are delighted to have been able to return to swimming lessons this year as we believe it is an essential life skill, and also a fun way to keep fit. Fifth class attended lessons this term at Clondalkin Leisure Centre, and Third Class will be going after the holidays. The cost of transport to and from the pool makes these lessons very expensive, which is why we can only attend for short courses. We are very much looking forward to a time when our local swimming pool around the corner opens, which should make lessons much more accessible for all.
 
Cycling
The students in 6th class are currently participating in a Cycle Safe class run by South Dublin Council. There will be seven sessions in total. The first session was conducted in the classroom and was all about safety. This included carrying out a bike  and  equipment check.
The subsequent lessons are taking place in the school yard. There are two trainers onsite and the lessons incorporate road safety theory and cycling technique.
Some of the skills learned so far include taking a left-hand turn, taking a right-hand turn, cycling two abreast, changing speed and coming to an emergency stop. Essential skills for these children who may find themselves cycling to secondary school next year.
 
 
 
And a reminder re GAA 
The school is in a time of development in the area of Gaelic Games.  If any children are interested in taking up any of these sports in their free time, they can contact Alan O’Neill (GPO) - Lucan Sarsfields GAA or Declan Jennings (GPO) Westmanstown GAA.  
 
 
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Student Voice
 
Student Voice -or giving the students an opportunity to have their say- is, as you know, very important to us in Esker ETNS.
 
Here’s an update from our student committees.
 
 
Student Council
 
A message from Amaliya (S.C joint chairperson) and Noha (S.C secretary)
 
This year the new student council reps wanted to arrange a fundraiser to support Educate Together’s One Day for All appeal. Maryam from 5th Red suggested that we have a cultural day.
The Student Council worked very hard to arrange this fundraiser. We did this by meeting regularly to plan, by designing posters, sending emails, making announcements and giving daily reminders of the fundraiser. The Student Council Leadership Team (Alexandru, Amaliya, Noha and Zaryab) also contacted parents to see if any of them would like to participate in this joyful day.
On the day itself, the Leadership Team  went around to each class and gathered names of people who wanted to represent their culture at the assembly “Catwalk”. We had arranged for some parents to come in to tell stories, sing traditional songs and dance to traditional music. Shanslay from 3rd Green also did a traditional Indian dance.
We were delighted to raise a bunch of money from each class. Once we counted up the money and realized we had collected €525 we were happy to announce that Culture Day was a success. Educate Together was delighted to receive our donation.
The Student Council had a wonderful time preparing this lovely fundraiser. We were really happy about the results and we hope to continue to do more good work over the rest of the year.
 
Green Schools
Climate change is a pressing issue for us all, and our Green Schools Committee is very active promoting the messages of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The committee is always busy, and this term has continued to promote sustainable travel with the Golden Boot Award for the class that participates most actively in Walk on Wednesday! 
We are very lucky in Esker to have hot lunches delivered daily, but a concern for  us is that this generates a lot of waste. This goes against our principles as a Green School and has been the focus of our Green School’s Committee who came up with an innovative way to cut down on this waste. They ran a competition to see which class would generate the least lunch waste. Children were encouraged to ask their parents to cancel lunch orders if they were not being eaten, and to only order food that the children would be willing to eat. Third Class Green won this competition and were rewarded with the surprisingly popular prize of going on a litter and leaf pick!
Last week the committee were delighted to welcome Michelle from Composting Ireland to the school to help them set up our wormery. Composting using a wormery is an ideal way to turn some of our food waste into compost which we will be able to use when we are planting in the Fairy Garden and elsewhere around the school grounds. 
 
Active Committee
 
We have a new Active Committee made up of members of staff and children from 3rd to 6th .  We have been having meetings about getting our whole school really active.  We are also in the process of renewing our Active Flag this year.  
 
As a result of this, we have brought back the ever-popular...
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​The children voted on a song to learn and we play music on the yard on Fridays.  We have dance leaders to guide the children through the fun dance moves.  Everyone loves this and they do their best moves!
 
We also have been getting a rota of children together for mentoring younger classes with their football skills on the yard.  The mentors act as referees and coaches for break time.  
 
The active committee arranged for there to be an audit of the PE equipment.  The children counted the footballs and tennis balls in the classes.  The teachers tidied out the PE Press and will order any missing equipment.  This means we have everything we need to be really sporty and enjoy our PE.
 
We have trained some children  how to pump up the class sets of footballs with the electric pump.  This is extremely helpful as they can go around the classes when needed, keeping the equipment in great condition for PE. We also would like to get a new sports kit for the school and we are going to start planning our path forward on making this happen. 
 
Look out for active homework that will be coming soon.  There are loads of sports and activities going on in the school every week and we have lots of ideas and plans for the future. More fun active times ahead!
 
 
Other interesting activities.
 
Science Week
 
Science Week took place in November, and every class took the opportunity to develop their interest in the sciences with experiments, investigations and research projects. Third Class Green won a raffle to take part in a Science show being held in Lucan Library. This event was supported by Discover Primary Science and Lucan Library (SDCC).
The children visited the library and participated in a number of experiments involving  colour changing liquids. They used pipettes and measured out the liquids very precisely. The children agreed it was both interesting and fun -the best way to learn!
 
                                     

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Teacher Artist Partnership Residency Programme
Second class are enjoying the opportunity of working with artist Gabi McGrath https://gabimcgrath.com/  as part of the Teacher Artist Partnership Residency Programme. They are learning felt-making and are currently working on a project inspired by the book The Rainbow Fish. For this collaborative art project the children are creating their own individual pieces and then these will be joined together to create an ocean of fish. We are excited to see the finished piece! 

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Music Generation
 
4th and Fifth class delighted us all with a percussion performance to demonstrate the rhythm skills they developed working with Phil and James from Music Generation. Phil and James are professional musicians and the Music Generation programme funds a ten- week programme of percussion lessons for 12 classes over the course of the school year. Next term it will be the turn of 2nd and 3rd class.
 
 
Choir
And continuing on a musical theme, we are delighted to announce the return of the Esker School Choir. Paula is our choir mistress, and she rehearses with her band of singers every Friday afternoon. The choir will perform for us at the Winter Showcase next week, and in the New Year, all going to plan, will perform at The Big Sing. This is a collaborative concert featuring a number of schools from across the country. More details to follow.
 
After School Clubs (ECAs)
 
Art Club, and Art through Spanish!
 
Twelve students from First class Red and Green joined Louise for 6 weeks of Art Club. During this time they made lots of different crafts such as spooky houses for Halloween, rockets for science week and winter skies and snowmen. Art Club gave the children the opportunity to practise a different skill each week, such as  painting, drawing, cutting and sticking. Everyone had great fun and really enjoyed the classes, most especially the popcorn and dancing on the final day! Children from 2nd Class had the added benefit of learning their artistic skills through Spanish with Carmen and Leah. They learned some Spanish chat and songs, whilst at the same time producing some very impressive artistic creations. Fantastico!
 
 
 
Baking and Cooking Club
 
Baking and Cooking Club took place every Monday after school in the staffroom for 4th class students, with Ivana and Milena. This very popular club started on 7th of November and   finished on 12th of December. Master chefs Ivana and Milena focused on  improving the children’s baking and cooking skills. Every Monday  students prepared a different dish from  scratch. On the menu were cupcakes, chicken nuggets, pancakes and waffles, tomato +mozzarella pasta, Nutella cake and Pizza. Every Monday evening tantalizing aromas wafted through the school corridors and it was a pleasure to finish the school day with a taste of these delicious dishes!
 

Games Club.
Games club with Eimear D. took place this term for 3rd class. Nothing beats a good board game for hours of entertainment. The children were introduced to some new games, and also got to play some of their old favourites. Good old-fashioned after school fun!
 
Chess Club
 
The students in 6th class have been participating in chess club for the past 6 weeks. The club is run by 6th Green teacher, Declan. Here’s a message from him.
Chess Club lessons began with a detailed look at the pawn and progressed through all the chess pieces. It is more than just learning the rules of play. There is an emphasis on respect, forward planning, decision making, accepting defeat, chess etiquette, teamwork, resilience and patience.
This first lesson introduces the basics of chess such as making eye-contact to show respect at the beginning and end of the chess game as well as turn-taking throughout the game. The lesson explains how to set up the chess board correctly, demonstrates the Pawn piece and introduces a fun mini-game to develop students’ understanding of the Pawn. The students progress through the weeks on to the last lesson which is full chess.
If students know how all the pieces move and understand checkmate (how to win and lose a game of real chess), then they know how to play chess. Of course the world of chess goes much, much deeper, understanding checkmate is the access point. The level each person achieves in chess is then down to practice, practice and more proper practice.
One of the highlights of chess club is when we use construct-a-checkmate puzzles to conclude the teaching of checkmate before devoting the rest of the lesson to allowing students play (for many students) their first real game of chess for an extended period of time.
Chess club use a lot of the resources that ficheall have online. There are videos which introduce the concepts of chess in a step-by-step, easy to understand fashion. It is a great resource for budding chess players.
The students have made great progress at this immensely satisfying game, and hopefully have begun what will develop into a life-long hobby.
 
 
In Other News …
 
Digital Devices
 
Last year we received a grant from The Department of Education to purchase digital devices to support our learning. We bought iPads which arrived this term, and to which every class has access. These will be used to support numeracy, including problem solving and computational thinking, to enable the use of technology such as robotics and coding, to facilitate activities to support literacy and other subjects using digital storytelling and to allow our SET department to use specialised programmes with the students who need them. Teachers have had the benefit of extra training in computational thinking from our old friend Niamh Gallagher, who is currently on secondment with the PDST. We intend making the most of these new devices and new skills next term!
 
 
Linda’s Updates
 
Our Winter Card- Making session was a great success. The multipurpose room was full of chatter and crafting. Claudia and Tara continued on with the crafts in December.
We were also delighted to be able to run an 8- week craft class with Audrey- Some of our parents painted a beautiful mural on the multipurpose room wall.
(If anyone has a skill, crafting or other that they'd like to share, please get in touch to arrange a class!!)
We had an excellent turn out for our MABS (Money Advice and Budgeting Service) talk last week. We got   some great advice about budgeting for the coming year.
Don’t forget to support the PTA charity fundraiser money collection- 'Silly hat day' in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust (A charity which supports homeless people). This is happening on Friday Dec 16th.
There will be lots happening next term.
In January we will be running a numeracy initiative for first class called Maths for Fun. This will run for four weeks, and will involve parents coming in to play maths games with the children.
A literacy initiative - CLOVER -will be happening in January for Junior Infants. Parents will be invited to come in and read a story to their child's class. This can be in English or your home language.
If you are interested in getting involved with either of the above initiatives, make sure to let me know!
 
 
And finally…
 
The Esker ETNS Winter Showcase
 
The excitement was brewing in school this week, as all classes prepared for our Winter Showcase on Tuesday 20th of December. There were two performances, one for the parents of Junior Infants to 3rd Class, and the second for the parents of the older classes. It was wonderful to be able to invite parents back into the school to attend this kind of event, and we loved seeing so many of you on the day! For those who didn't make it on the 20th, there are videos of the performances on the Learn Together Assemblies page of the website.

​May I also take this opportunity to wish you well at the end of this busy and enjoyable year. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, we send you Seasons Greetings, and for those who don’t, we wish you health and happiness for the holidays and the New Year.
 
With very best wishes,
 
Gemma and the staff of Esker ETNS

Hello to all of our parents and guardians of Esker Educate Together National School.

I would like to officially welcome our new families from Junior Infants and new families to our school. It was wonderful to see all our current students return in September.  It has been a very busy term so far, with the mid term break fast approaching. 

Children have adapted very well to their new classrooms, teachers and routines. There has been a hive of activity from all of our classes from Junior Infants to 6th.

Please note that children now line up in the yard in the morning. Supervision is provided from 9.10am. It is important that children are not left alone before this time, as no teachers are present. 

Traffic is still a major issue on the school grounds - Remember, if your child is from 3rd - 6th class, we ask that you drop them at Castle Road and ask them to walk to school from there (unless your child has additional needs) This will reduce the amount of traffic on the grounds significantly. 

Please be careful if parking, there have been a number of accidents already this year.

Children crossing the road to cars must use the pedestrian crossing - do not allow your child to cross at the roundabout. Please be patient with each other and keep the traffic moving.  We all want the children to be safe at all times. 

Barry spends lots of care and time maintaining the grounds and we are very proud of them and grateful to him. Please do not allow children to swing on the ropes or to walk through the beds - please walk around them.

Here is a flavour of what has been happening this month in Esker Educate Together National School:

GAA - Heidi is in charge of our 5th and 6th class teams in Cuman na mBunscoil. The teams have played local primary schools in Griffeen Park since early September.. We are very proud of the skills that they have developed, their sense of fair play and their perseverance during difficult matches. They have proved to be excellent opponents and have adapted well to the game.  Many have developed into great players. Lucan Sarsfield is our local GAA club.

​

Mobile Library
The South Dublin County Council mobile library is back every fortnight for our senior classes.  If the children cannot get to the library, it is a great way to get the library to them. It stocks a great selection of fiction and non-fiction. Lucan library is located beside Supervalu and it is free to join. It is a wonderful amenity for our community and I would encourage you to join. There are lots of free classes and workshops available for adults and children.   

Story Teller - Niall de Burca
We had an exciting visit from the storyteller, Niall de Burca in September. He told tales of yonder in English and Irish to the children. He was extremely animated and engaging. There was lots of laughter and giggling throughout the school.

​

Parent Classes
In person parent classes have begun this year. Linda is our home school teacher and will always let you know when a new free parent class is beginning. This term we have Yoga and Craft for parents. Classes are a great way to meet other parents in the school and to get involved in school.

​

PTA AGM 
The Parent Teacher Association held their AGM (Annual General Meeting) on Friday 21st October at 9.30am. All parents were very welcome to attend and to nominate themselves to be part of the committee or to vote on new members.  Thank you to all who attended. Congratulations to the new Committee of 2022/23 - Claudia (chairperson) Tara (Vice) Nora (Secretary) Jenny (Treasurer), we cannot wait to work with you this year. A big thank you to the outgoing committee members Pippa and Brendan, for their help last year

​

Maths week.
Last week we celebrated Maths week. Parents and guardians were invited to come and take part in some class activities. There was much excitement in the school with maths stations, maths packs, maths trails and the BIG BIG Maths Quiz. Thank you to all, who were able to attend. For those who could not, we will ensure that there is another opportunity for you this year. 

​

​Hello to all parents, guardians, children and members of the Esker ETNS school community!
 
Where has the year gone! It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of the term and the year, but so we have. Like all terms it has been a busy one with lots to report, but first one or two pieces of practical information.
 
School reopening.
School reopens for the children on Wednesday 31st August. Put it in your diary!
 
Class Reallocation Policy.
This term we have developed a policy governing our approach to reallocating children across the two classes at each level. From the academic year 2022-23, reallocation will be considered at the end of Senior Infants, Second Class and Fourth Class.
The reasoning behind this is to establish the best balance in terms of both educational and personal and social development as the children progress and needs change throughout their primary education.
If your child’s class is to be redistributed, teachers, SNAs, and children will be involved in the process, and every effort will be made to make the transition smooth and reduce any possible source of anxiety.
Please take the time to read the policy at this link https://www.eskeretns.ie/uploads/1/2/7/1/127165924/reallocating_classes_policy.pdf
 
Parents’ Open Day
There was lots going on in the school over the last couple of months, but for teachers and children alike, one of the most important and meaningful was the Parents’ Open Day. Prior to Covid, as many of you will remember, it was a common sight to see parents strolling down the corridor or popping into a classroom. Covid changed all of that, much to our regret and so it was with delight that we welcomed parents back into the school on 3rd and 9th June. And the delight was most keenly felt by the children, who were bursting with pride and excitement to welcome their parents into their classrooms. Many thanks to all of you who attended. We know it’s not possible for all parents to attend these events, but hopefully over the coming year you will be able to visit us on some occasion.

​Green School’s Committee. -A message from Grace.
 
A big thank you to the Green School Committee. We had a great day of celebration last Friday June 17th where we raised our fifth Green School flag. This was awarded to us for all the work done raising awareness of biodiversity in our school, and for increasing biodiversity here on the grounds at Esker. We celebrated with ice-cream cones in the sunshine!
 
We had a special Biodiversity Week in May. What a busy week it was! Some classes had workshops with Mairead from Biodiversity in Schools and Fourth class spent some time Investigating Woodlands with Rob from an Taisce. The children learned so much and had lots of fun along the way. The Senior Classes buddied up with the Junior Classes and had nature walks and trails around the school grounds identifying lots of native trees and flowers. It was very nice to see the older children sharing their knowledge with the younger ones. We finished off the week with some quizzes. Paula had some tricky questions in there!! We learned about the importance of bees for biodiversity and we made bee baths to make sure the bees have plenty of places to have a drink. A special thank you to Barry who helped us with all the planting that happened during the year including trees, flowers and fruit and vegetables. 

​Spanish Club -A message from Carmen.
This last term we were very fortunate to be able to return to ECA’s (Extra curricular activities /after school clubs). 29 children from the two First Classes took part in Spanish Club. They had great fun learning Spanish language, doing Art through Spanish and learning Spanish songs. They learned “Soy una taza” and El baile del cuerpo” Ask them to sing them to you! Fantástico!
We are all looking forward to the Spanish Club performance in the last week of the year.
Espero que paséis un feliz Verano! (in other words, have a very happy summer!).
 
 
 
Student Council
Student Voice (or listening to our students) is very important in Esker. This year we had regular meetings of the student council and their suggestions were listened to carefully. Two of their suggestions came to fruition this term.
 
A suggestion which was made by a number of children was to make yard time more interesting. So a Yard Improvement Committee of teachers and SNAs was put in place to put some of the children’s ideas into practice. (Many thanks to Jenny, Milena, Elaine, Ivana, Carol, Colm, Harriet and Catherine).
 
Jenny volunteered to train 4th Class students to be yard monitors for the Junior and Senior Infant Classes. They set up different zones and taught the younger students how to understand the rules of the games and play fairly. This was very successful and since then the children have been having great fun in the Chill Zone, Skipping zone, Penalty Shoot Out zone and Games zone.
 
Ivana and Elaine organised to have the basketball courts repainted and to have the yard painted with lots of fun games -Twister, Hopscotch, Long Jump, Target, Noughts and Crosses, Drop Zone, Switch and Alphabet Snake. A number of students from 3rd to 6th classes were trained how to play the new games and they in turn demonstrated the games to the rest of the children. This was a very successful initiated, deriving directly from the suggestions of the children, Student Voice in action!
 
School Mascot
A second target for the Student Council was to raise funds to buy a school mascot. In order to do this, the council ran a fundraiser on 6th May -Crazy Day. Children were encouraged to wear something crazy to school, and to make a small donation. All sorts of crazy combinations of costumes, hairstyles and footwear arrived to school that day, and the children had great fun showing off their creations. An afternoon at the Esker Movies was the prize for the craziest class, and the Student Council managed to raise over €500, with which they purchased our new school mascot, who arrived in time for Sports Day. Well done to all!   

Healthy Eating and Less Waste
We are very lucky to have healthy lunches delivered to us daily in Esker. One concern raised by our Green School’s Reps was the amount of waste this was generating. Following consultation with staff, children and the lunch company Carambola, a decision was made to improve the healthy choices on offer and cut down on packaging. The result is that the children are eating more fruit and other healthy options, and less waste is being generated.
In order to continue this approach, we ask parents to remember to cancel the Carambola lunch order if your child will not be in school or does not want to eat the lunch they provide.
 
 
Parents Association -A message from Linda
The PTA have been very busy the last few months organising coffee mornings most weeks and taking all our class photos!! A few weeks ago, the beloved Book and Treat sale was back with a bang! There was a palpable air of excitement all through the school with children eager to buy some books for their brains and treats for their bellies! The PTA have organised a wonderful breakfast for our graduation class of 2022 and have some fantastic graduation gifts for all our graduands. The PTA are already coming up with more ideas for when we return to school in September. Keep an eye on Aladdin for the PTA AGM and come get involved!
 

​Sports and Outdoor Education
Staying fit and active, and introducing children to different outdoor activities is an important aspect of education in primary school. This term Fourth Class were particularly lucky as they participated in both swimming lessons and also a series of Outdoor Education lessons with Susan.
Teachers and pupils alike were delighted to be able to return to one of the year’s most popular events, Sports Day, on 17th June. It was wonderful to see so many parents in attendance, to watch, to cheer on and even to take part!
 
Some of the most popular after school activities which have seen a return this year are sports clubs, and this term has been a busy one for our Esker athletes. Very many thanks to Heidi for taking on the task of organising the many sporting activities that took place over the last couple of months.
 

​ 
Sports Activities -A message from Heidi.
GAA
We took part in the Cumann na mBunscol GAA football competition this year.  It was our first year ever taking part.  We entered a boys and a girls team.  As part of this, we ran an after school GAA club to get ready for the matches.  The children then played the competition matches against local schools.  The boys played their matches in Griffeen Park and in Lucan Sarsfields.  The girls played theirs in Newcastle.  There was a huge development in GAA skills during the course of the matches, considering some children had never played the sport before outside of school.  The children played so well and had great fun.  It was a fantastic start to our CNMB GAA football future.  Thanks to Heidi, Laura, Colm, Ivana, Mary and Milena for running the after school club.  Thanks to the 5th and 6th class staff for helping with everything on match days and for sourcing boots etc. 
 
Alan, from Lucan Sarsfields, came in to the school to teach Gaelic football to 1st and 2nd classes.  This ran for 6 weeks during PE time.   
 
Cricket
We had cricket coaches, Anne and Naomi, come to the school this year. This was funded by Cricket Ireland and SDCC.  We ran a cricket after school club with the help of Paula and Heidi too.  We took part in the SDCC School’s 10 a side pairs cricket.  We had two teams involved.  Congratulations to all of the children who participated and represented the school to an excellent standard.   Our 6th class team got through to the finals which was a huge achievement.
 
Table Cricket
We had a table cricket team too.  This sport is a mixture of Table Tennis and Cricket. Naomi from Cricket Ireland gave us a few lessons to start us off and then Ivana and Mary put the children through their paces for our matches in Lucan East ETNS.  The children played really well and were awarded medals.  They had a great day our and again represented their school to an extremely high standard. 
 
Hockey
Maryanne and Barbara from Weston Hockey Club, Lucan, took the senior classes for hockey from January to March.  These lessons were provided by Hockey Ireland under the “Tricks for Sticks” initiative.  Some of the children showed natural flair for this sport and Weston Hockey Club is always open to new members as are all the clubs mentioned above.
 
Athletics
We participated in the CNMB Athletics schools competition held in Santry this year.  Deirdre and Daniel trained the children in advance of this.  We had children participating in Sprints, Relays, 600m, Shot Putt, Long Jump and High Jump. Everyone recorded their own personal best that day.  The children represented the school to a very high standard.  We came 6th in the long jump final, and won medals in the U14 girls Sprints and the U14 boys Long Jump.  Everyone had a great day. 
 

​Music
The corridors have been ringing with the sound of music of late! Music Generation, who have worked with 3rd and 4th class this term, ended the year with a very impressive percussion performance. 2nd and 5th class, ably led by musicians from the Ruaille Buaille Children’s Arts Festival provided us with another musical afternoon of rhythm and song, and Infant classes were entertained by a delightful and thought-provoking drama performed by the Ruaille Buaille players which explored the theme of sharing and cooperation. The drama illustrated to the children the importance of taking turns and being patient when they play together. The actors held a Q & A session at the end of the drama and were subjected to a very in- depth interrogation by some of our infants. (Why are you wearing those socks? Why are you wearing those gloves?  Why are you wearing those funny clothes? Why are you sitting on those chairs? Why did you build a boat? Why are you playing that guitar?) All questions were given full and satisfactory answers.
 
 
 
School Trips
Another very welcome return, sorely missed over the last two years was that most exciting of days in the school calendar -The School Tour. Our classes headed off to a wide variety of destinations, including:
 

• Junior Infants: Lullymore Heritage Park
• Senior Infants: Sealife and the Bray promenade
• First Class: Dublin Zoo, Airtastic and Lucan Library
• Second Class: Lullymore Heritage Park
• Third Class: Newbridge house and farm
• Fourth Class: Causey Farm
• Fifth Class: Tayto Park
• Sixth Class: Zip-It Adventure Centre

 

​Goodbye to the class of 2022
This term we had to bid a fond farewell to our two Sixth Classes. Graduation took place on Friday 24th, and it was a splendid occasion.
The Class of 2022 were treated royally on the day. They started with breakfast courtesy of the PTA. There then followed a wonderful ceremony involving music and song, slideshows, speeches, memories shared and a special guest appearance by our founding principal, Colette. The winner of the 2022 Croí na Scoile (Heart of the School) award was announced. Many congratulations to the worthy recipient, Vanessa Goralczyk. The day ended with further refreshments, provided by the PTA and delicious contributions by many parents.
Goodbye and Good luck to our departing graduates. We wish you all the best for the future and we hope you stay in touch.

And …Hello to the Class of 2030!
And just as we bade farewell to our graduating class, we had the pleasure of another very special day in the school calendar- the day the new Junior Infants come to visit. This happened on June 13th, and it was wonderful to meet our new arrivals. Our student council reps greeted the children and together with teachers and SNAs showed them the fun awaiting them in school, playing games, building tall towers and making them feel welcome. We very much look forward to getting to know these little people better when they start their school careers with us in September.
 
 
As you can see it’s been an eventful term and an eventful year. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and we thank all children, parents and guardians for their participation, co-operation and support. We wish you all a well-deserved rest, and look forward to seeing you back again on 29th August, refreshed and reinvigorated for another busy year in Esker!